


Pieces of the Heart

by kickcows



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Character Death, Episode Ignis Verse 2, Falling In Love, Heavy Angst, M/M, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 14:26:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16160726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kickcows/pseuds/kickcows
Summary: Prompto swears to not let anyone into his heart, but one man decides that he won’t take no for an answer. Set in the V2 timeline.





	Pieces of the Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lavender_aiden](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavender_aiden/gifts).



> The prompt for this was major character death, so please be warned that this isn't the happiest of fics. Regardless, I hope that you will enjoy this, as it is not something I would normally write. ^_^

* * *

Prompto put on a suit and picked up the bouquet of flowers he had purchased on his way home from the Citadel. Another long day rebuilding the destroyed city of Insomnia. But today he had told the King that he had somewhere to be, and Noctis had given him his blessing, and passed along his own thoughts to him which Prompto had put into the back of his mind.

It took him awhile to get out of the city, the countryside of Lucis looking just like he had remembered it looked. He drove out to Old Lestallum, parked his car and then rented a chocobo to get to his final destination. A simple grave, tucked away in a thicket of bushes, where the body of his lover has laid to rest these past two years.

“Hey.” Prompto stood at the grave, eyes beginning to well up as they do every single visit he made to this plot of land. Kneeling down, he set the bouquet of flowers down next to the rocks that held the marker of who was buried there. “It’s been awhile, hasn’t it, Iggy?” He whispered, touching the necklace that the man used to wear, the skull pendant now hanging around Prompto’s neck.

“When’s the last time I came out here?” He leaned against the marker, sniffling as tears began to slide down his face. “I’m sorry it’s been so long…”

Closing his eyes, he allowed the memories to come back. The memories that he held at bay, the ones that clung to the corners of his mind. He could never forget Ignis, and what had come to pass that had him kneeling next to this man’s grave.

***

It was a mistake to get involved. Prompto told himself over and over that no matter what would come to pass, that he would keep himself closed off and unapproachable on the trip to Altissia with Noctis and his two retainers. _Don’t put yourself into any unnecessary compromises. Fend only for yourself_. The constant reminder that he kept hidden by the leather cuff on his right wrist made him remember that he would never be like the three of them. And that had worked, for a good amount of time. He was cordial to both Gladio and Ignis, but mostly kept to himself and on rare occasions he would spend time with his best friend.

But one evening, Noctis decided he wanted to go night fishing. Prompto had said that he’d stay back at camp, because they had run across a group of cactuar and they had done a right number on him. He wasn’t interested in standing around all night, at least not tonight. Not after the afternoon that they had had. Gladio volunteered to go with him, and Ignis had said he would stay behind at the camp as well.

He looked down at his camera, going through the pictures he’d taken after both Noctis and Gladio had left camp. He could see Ignis moving around the haven, cleaning up after their meal of robust bean soup. Unsure why Ignis had to stay behind, Prompto stayed sitting against his rented chocobo, and didn’t bother to offer his help to Ignis. But when a chair got moved from near the campfire over towards where he was sitting, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to avoid talking for much longer.

“You aren’t very talkative, are you, Prompto?” Ignis said, sitting down next to his chocobo instead of the chair he had dragged over. Prompto wasn’t sure if he should be relieved, or annoyed that Ignis had even bothered to move it in the first place. “Noctis had said it didn’t mean anything, but I wonder if there’s any truth to that.”

“You don’t have to try and be friends with me, Iggy.” He set his camera down on his lap, and turned towards him. “I’m here because Noctis asked me to be. I know this has turned into something none of us expected, but I think it’s best if you stay glued to the Prince, and I stick to taking pictures of our travels.”

A disgruntled noise came out of Ignis. “Very well. Then I won’t bother to bring it up with you again.” It sounded like he had gotten through to Noctis’ Adviser, as Ignis vacated the spot next to him and returned to cleaning up the area.

Happy that he had somehow gotten through to Ignis, Prompto gave his chocobo a few pets, then stood up and walked over to the tent. It wasn’t that late, but he didn’t want to sit here in silence. Getting ready for bed, he took to his designated spot in the tent, and got settled in for the night. The sleeping arrangement they had decided to try on their first night had stuck for the last few weeks of their travel, the habit now ingrained into him. Prompto would lay perpendicular at the back of the tent, and Gladio would sleep with his head at Prompto’s feet, while both Ignis and Noctis would lay parallel to one another with their heads pointed towards Prompto’s side. As he began to fall asleep, he heard the tent flap open, and almost yelped when he felt the presence of a body lay down beside him.

“You may think you can push me away, Prompto, but I will get to the bottom of why you act this way.” Ignis spoke to him in a hushed voice, Prompto closing his eyes to block out the vision of what the two of them probably looked like.

“Why do you even care?” He asked, seeing no need to pretend that he hadn’t heard him. “I’m not doing anyone any harm by keeping to myself.”

“It may not look like it, but if you would trust us more, the four of us would work together more cohesively as a unit.”

“Fine, Iggy.” Rolling over, he felt his heart stop at how close the other man was laying next to him. “Have you ever heard of personal space?”

“I have.”

“And don’t you sleep next to Noctis?”

The look of annoyance he saw cross Ignis’ face helped to relieve whatever weird feelings he’d begun to feel with Ignis being so close to him. “I believe that this tent is well equip to sleep the four of us in any way we see fit. Maybe I would like to sleep this way tonight.”

“Whatever.” Prompto turned back around, closing his eyes to shut down for the night. “Do whatever you want.”

“I think I will, thank you.”

Noctis and Gladio returned to the tent a few hours later, Prompto waking up at the noise. No one said a word about the arrangement, as he could feel Ignis still sleeping next to him. In the morning, he woke up first and made his way out of the tent, trying to ignore how nice it had felt to sleep next to someone like that, instead of having nothing next to him.

Over the course of the next few nights, they stayed camped at Pullmoor Haven, and each night Ignis returned to Prompto’s side, no matter if Noctis was around or not. It put him into an awkward position, one he wasn’t interested in being in, but as time wore on, he began to allow his defenses to lower. He soon found himself looking forward to the moments when he’d get to speak to Ignis without the others around, finding it a little easier to talk to him one on one than with Noctis and Gladio around.

After completing a few missions, they had enough money to spring for the comfort of a warm bed for a night. Prompto followed Ignis to a room without being told to, somehow the nature of their friendship seemed to dictate to him that it would be better if he slept in a room with him than with Noctis. His best friend hadn’t said a word about it, only said goodnight to the two of them, then went into the room next door with Gladio following behind him.

“I would have thought you would want to spend the night with Noctis.” Ignis remarked, as they walked into the room. He did used to like getting to share a room with Noctis when they had stayed at hotels, but now things felt different. And because of that, he chose to bunk down with Ignis. Expecting two beds, both stopped and stared when they saw only one in the center of the room. “Oh, no.”

“It’s fine.” Prompto spared Ignis from saying anything else. “It’s not like we don’t sleep close to each other in the tent. Now, it’ll just be on a bed.”

“I promise to be a gentleman.”

“I wasn’t worried that you wouldn’t be, Iggy.”

Taking a shower had been an almost orgasmic experience for Prompto. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d stayed in a motel. At least a month. So he spent close to forty-five minutes in the shower, appreciating how the pressure of the water felt compared to bathing in a lake, or river. He apologized to Ignis for taking so long, but the other man hadn’t said a word about it, instead gave him his privacy to go and enjoy a shower himself.

He got settled under the thick duvet, and tried not to think about how it was going to be when Ignis came out of the bathroom. He kept his boxers on, and waited to feel the bed shift with Ignis’ weight. It came around ten minutes later, the light that had been on turning off to put the room into darkness.

“Are you still awake, Prompto?” Ignis’ voice cut through the darkness like a knife, Prompto closing his eyes as he debated on whether or not to inform him that yes, he was still awake. He could play it off and ignore the question, but something inside of him decided to answer the question, somewhat foolishly.  

“I am.”

“It’s nice to lay on a lumpy mattress, isn’t it?”

That comment made him laugh, and not just a little giggle but a full blown hysterical laugh. Why it seemed so funny, he couldn’t understand, but it felt good to laugh like that. And hearing Ignis laugh with him, it caused something else to stir inside of him. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh like that before.” Prompto wiped his eyes, now laying on his back on the bed.

“There hasn’t been much to laugh about as of late.”

It was true. Ever since they had read the newspaper informing the world of the fall of Insomnia, they had been going nonstop. If they stopped, then the reality would sink in that their home was gone, as well as anyone that had meant anything to them. But Prompto had always been a loner, another reason that kept him apart from the others. He turned to lay on his side, and saw Ignis looking at him. Light from the streetlamp outside snuck in through the drawn curtains, giving Prompto a clear view of the expression on his face. It wasn’t a sad expression, but he could see the sadness in Ignis’ eyes, and that caused him to do something that would change his life for rest of his existence on Eos.

Prompto kissed him.

Expecting to be pushed away as his lips touched Ignis’, he was surprised to feel them plump up against his own, Ignis returning the kiss to him tenfold. He parted his lips at the same time as Ignis, their tongues twisting together in a silent conversation, the call and response of low moans shared between the two of them rang in his ears. The kiss he’d begun was taken over by Ignis, who he gladly gave the control to, finding it easier to go along with what Ignis wanted rather than what he wanted, because he honestly had no idea what had possessed him to do what he had done in the first place.

The weight of Ignis’ body settled on top of his, Prompto moving his legs to be around his waist, wanting to feel more of his body against his. Moaning into his mouth, Prompto felt their erections come into contact together, the unfamiliar touch one he knew he would grow to love. He could hear himself moaning, his hands sliding up and down Ignis’ back as they set a frantic pace, their frotting causing the bed to squeak with every bounce. But they didn’t stop. Prompto groaned into Ignis’ mouth as he began to come, the pent up tension that’s been brewing between the two of them finally coming to fruition. The sound of Ignis coming a few moments later brought another wave of heat rushing through his body. Then, silence descended between the two of them.

Ignis laid on top of him, both of them breathing with labored breaths. “I have waited to do that with you for so long…” Ignis whispered into his ear.

“Why didn’t you do it sooner?” He asked, turning his head to look up at him, the stream of light from the streetlight showing him that the look in Ignis’ eyes was no longer sad. But there was something else there that Prompto didn’t recognize.

“Because, I told myself that it would be on your terms. You closed yourself off to us.” Ignis lowered his head, and brushed his lips against Prompto’s, who gladly accepted the kiss to his lips. “I needed you to see it for yourself.”

“Are you glad we did that, Iggy?”

“Very much so.”

The happiness he had felt when they’d first kissed began to slip away, as he began to realize the mistake he’d just made. “I can’t let you in all the way.” He whispered, closing his eyes to not see the look of sadness that he could almost bet was back on Ignis’ face. “It wouldn’t be right. You will hate me.”

“You don’t know that.” A hand touched his face, the gentle touch of Ignis’ thumb on his cheek made him open his eyes slow. “You couldn’t possibly know what is going on my head, so you cannot make that decision for me.”

The leather cuff on his right arm rubbed against his wrist in a way that was a reminder to him why it was a bad idea to get involved with any of them. “Trust me, Iggy. Please.”

“I will show you that letting me in won’t change how I feel about you.” Ignis rubbed his thumb over the bottom of his lip, Prompto closing his eyes before the tears began to fall. “I won’t push you, Prompto. I will wait for as long as I have to.”

He wanted to retaliate, but he knew that what Ignis was saying was being said to help him, not hurt him. He kissed the pad of his thumb, then the weight on top of him was gone. He grabbed a few tissues from the box next to the bed, and cleaned himself up, and when he felt Ignis press his chest to his back, Prompto didn’t shy away from it. He pushed back against him, and fell into a deep sleep - the first since this whole trip began.

xXx

They never brought up that night in the motel, Prompto grateful that Ignis was respecting his space. But whatever had happened between the two of them, it kept a grip on his mind and his heart, as they worked together better than they had on their hunts. There were times when Prompto would mess up during battle, and as he felt the end was finally coming for him, he would feel a hit of healing magic course its way through his system. He knew who healed him, as Ignis always gave him a _look_ , which he responded with a ‘Thanks!’ as he jumped back into the fight. Knowing that Ignis had his back helped him to learn to trust the others more, and tried to do the same for them, wanting them to know that they could trust him as well. As they sat around the campfire at nights, he would take the time to engage more with both Ignis and Gladio, his interactions with Noctis remaining the same. It seemed that the effort he put out was returned to him tenfold.

At night, Ignis would start off the night in his normal position, but Prompto knew that as soon as both Gladio and Noctis began to snore, he would feel the warmth of Ignis’ body against his. They didn’t kiss, nor did they touch one another sexually. They only slept together, the cuddling having a profound effect on Prompto. And by the time he woke up in the morning, Ignis was already getting breakfast ready, so there would be no question as to what they were doing together by anyone else in the tent.

The itch began to return, though. Prompto wanted to feel Ignis on top of him again. He wanted to feel his mouth back on top of his, their tongues coming together with heated kisses. But he didn’t know how to approach him about it. “ _I will wait for as long as I have to_.” Luckily, he didn’t have to. After a significant payday thanks to their successful hunts, they decided to treat themselves to a night at the Leville in Lestallum.

Gladio had followed Noctis in a room, leaving Prompto to follow Ignis into the other. And as soon as that door was closed, the memories of their kisses became a reality as Ignis pulled him towards the bed. He didn’t fight, he didn’t retreat into himself. No, he was tired of running away from how he felt about Ignis, and decided to embrace it. It wasn’t doing him any good to keep denying how he truly felt about Noctis’ right hand man.

When their clothes came off, he didn’t shy away. He took what Ignis was offering to him, and giving it back to him one hundred percent. His body opened up to him, their souls becoming one as they joined together for the first time. He stayed in the moment - didn’t try and fight past it, didn’t try to say no to it. No, he welcomed Ignis’ cock into his body with a satisfied moan, pushing his hips down to feel it penetrate him deeper.

One round together was not nearly enough for either of them. These pent up desires that had been feeding off of one another were coming to fruition again, Prompto more than glad that Ignis wanted to go again after their first round. All night long, he moaned and screamed for him, and in between their trysts, he would give Ignis little glimpses into his life prior to joining the three of them on their journey.

“I used to be fat.” Prompto commented, as Ignis fed him a piece of cake that they’d ordered through room service. The sugar dissolved onto his tongue, the decadent sweet treat tasting like sin itself as it slid down his throat. “Noctis wouldn’t remember me, but I was very fat, and kept to myself.”

“You were not.” Ignis fed him another bite, the prongs of the fork pressing against his bottom lip as it’s pulled away from his mouth. “I would have remembered you.”

“I saw you pick him up from school on more than one occasion.” He took the fork from Ignis’ hand, and prepared a bite for him. Watching him eat it brought heat to his body. “I’m glad you don’t remember what I looked like back then.”

“What about your parents? I believe it had been brought up to do a background check before you entered the Crownsguard training, but His Majesty had said it wasn’t necessary.”

Not sure why the King would say it wasn’t necessary made him feel a little relieved. “They were never home. Scientists. Doing stuff for His Majesty, I’d imagine.” He shrugged, and took another bite that Ignis fed to him. “I’m sure they’re dead now. Like everyone else we know.”

“At least we’re still alive.” Ignis touched his chin, and brought his lips down to Prompto’s, who was ready to be taken away from the bitter memories that were threatening to overwhelm him. But Ignis made sure that that didn’t happen, as his cock slipped back into Prompto’s body with no resistance, bringing him back into the present, and making him remember why it felt good to let someone in to his heart.

xXx

Finding Ignis in the state he was in in Gralea had almost destroyed Prompto. As he watched Noctis go into the crystal, all he could do was cling tight to Ignis, happy that he was still alive. “I couldn’t lose you…” He whispered, sobbing as Ignis held tight to him.

“I didn’t want you to lose me.” Ignis returned, the same thick emotion that was in Prompto’s voice matched by him.

They watched Noctis disappear before their eyes to become ready for the final battle, however long that took. Gladio offered Ignis his hand, then Prompto offered him his other one. “We’ve got a lot of work to do before he comes back.” Gladio nodded his head towards the crystal. “Who knows how long he’ll be in there.”

“We’ll do it together.” Prompto said, looking at his two friends, knowing it had been right to allow himself to let go of his hang ups and let them know who he was, inside and out.

“We will.”

It was a long ten years - ten years that Prompto spent with Ignis when he could. As the days began to grow shorter, Prompto took it upon himself to work alone, figuring it would better if they had split up the work on the continent, providing protection to those that needed it the most. Gladio and Ignis had agreed, and so the three of them went their separate ways for the good of the kingdom. Sometimes, they would meet up with Gladio, and sometimes they would only meet up with one another.

The times they met up alone had quickly became the nights that Prompto would look forward to the most. They would begin the same way - a quick kiss and fuck to say hello, then a recap on what they had been doing, and then they returned to a drawn out love making session that always ended too soon. It was these moments that Prompto found himself falling in love with Ignis, who would say it to him verbally more often than not. Ignis never expected to hear it in return, which made Prompto appreciate him that much more for understanding why he couldn’t say it, even if he felt it.

Noctis returned to them, and the four of them had come back together at the place where their initial journey had begun - Hammerhead. They spent all night talking, catching Noctis up on what had happened in his absence, and when it came time to go to bed before they headed out to Insomnia, Noctis had taken Gladio’s hand and led him away.

“Holy shit.” Prompto whispered, shocked that he’d never noticed it before. “Since when?”

“Since always.” Ignis chuckled, and held up a can of Ebony. “Would you like to head into the tent with me?”

“Do you think I’d say no?” He smiled, and went with Ignis into the tent. They got the rest that they needed, after a couple of rounds of sex tired them out to the point of exhaustion.

The battle for the throne had taken the better part of three days. The four of them together had approached the Citadel, and watched Noctis head up to fight the man who had caused their world to plunge into darkness. Seeing their King return with a few minor wounds had caused them all to fall to their knees and embrace one another. The first rays of light returning to the world of Eos as the four of them hugged one another.

Everything was going fine; rebuilding the city was taking time, but they knew that it would. Things were going well, the citizens of Insomnia happy to return back to their homes after years of living in different parts of the world. But then, Prompto got a call that changed everything in an instant.

“Hello? Gladio? What’s up?” He answered the call, looking over plans at one of the rebuild sites. “Everything going okay?”

“You need to get down here!” Gladio had shouted into the phone, his blood running cold in an instant. “And you’d better fucking hurry! Take the Marshal’s motorcycle!”

“What? What’s going on?” Prompto almost tripped over his feet, as he searched around the nearby area. “Gladio, what’s happened?? Is it Noctis? Did something happen to the King?”

“No. Worse.”

His stomach dropped, as he found Cor standing with a group of citizens. He guessed the look on his face said everything, as Cor had thrown him the keys to his motorcycle without having to be asked for them. He put his phone on the dock, and put his earpiece in, revving the engine up. “Gladio, where are you?”

“We’re just outside the gates. Near Crestholm. I mean it, Prompto. Speed over here as fast as you can.”

“Why?? Tell me what’s going on!”

“There’s been an accident.”

Trying to remain as calm as he could, Prompto zipped the motorcycle through Insomnia, the roar of his engine bouncing off the vacant buildings. He sped towards the bridge, and then was rolling to a stop just outside of the channels, where he could see a bunch of people gathered, including their King.

“What’s going on??” He shouted, as he raced over to the group of people. The crowd parted for him, and he almost fell to his knees with what he saw in front of him. “Oh, Gods. No…”

On the floor, pinned under what looked like one of the Magitek mechs, was the one person he never expected to see in this position. He sprinted to be by their side, dropping to his knees to slide the rest of his way towards them. A crew was trying to get the machine off of them, but it looked like it was going to take longer than they had time for.

“Baby….” Prompto cried, grabbing a hold of Ignis’ hand, his lips coming down to touch his with a soft kiss. The tang of blood stuck to his tongue, a thin line spilling from the side of Ignis’ mouth. “Baby, please…” A broken sob left his chest as his hand trembled, cupping Ignis’ face.

“You’re here…” Ignis whispered, a weak smile on his face. “I didn’t think….” He began to cough, more blood trickling out of his mouth.

“S-Shhh…” Prompto shook his head, keeping his hand cupped against his face. “Of course I’m here. Why wouldn’t I be? We’re going to get you out of this mess soon. It’s going to be okay.” Even as he said the words, he knew it wasn’t going to be. This was going to be it for the man he was in love with. “No more talking…”

“I have...I have to tell you…” His lover grasped onto his hand, his green eyes lacking their usual warmth.

“I love you.” Prompto said, sobbing as he clutched tight to his lover’s hand. “I love you so much, Iggy. Please….you can’t go. Not yet. We have so much to do still.”

“I know…” A peaceful smile appeared on Ignis’ lips, the strength that was he holding onto Prompto’s hand was slowly disappearing. “I love you too. Forever, Prompto. Thank you….for letting me in….Don’t forget….the times we….”

Ignis’s head dropped to the side, his eyes going blank. Prompto screamed, then dropped his head down onto his lover’s shoulder, which was still warm. It wouldn’t stay that way for long, as he knew bodies without any life in them would grow cold fast. But he couldn’t move away from him, because then it would truly be over. No curative, and no Phoenix down could fix this situation. And that reality made it a hundred times worse.

“I’m sorry.” Gladio whispered, standing next to Noctis. “He said he was going to go grab something, and then the next thing I heard was metal grinding together, and then a pained cry.”

“It’s not your fault.” Prompto held onto Ignis’ hand, unable to look at the others as he gazed at his lover’s lifeless face. “It was an accident. You couldn’t have known.” He brushed some of the hair off of Ignis’ face, tears steadily streaming down his face as he took in the peaceful smile that would always been on his lover’s face. A smile that was there because of him, because of what they had shared together through this tumultuous life. “At least I got to see him before he left.”

“It’s why he held on as long as he did.” Noctis told him. “He was waiting for you.”

Another fresh wave of sobs left his throat, as he lowered his head to be as close to the man that he loved more than anything in the world. With clumsy fingers, he took the necklace that Ignis wore off of his body, and placed it around his own neck. Pressing one final kiss to Ignis’ lips, he stood up and looked across at his friends.

“Let’s bury him somewhere nice.”

***

“Everyone misses you.” Prompto touched Ignis’ grave marker, the tears starting to slow down. “Every day starts and ends, and you’re always still the first thought on my mind, as well as the last one.”

He can almost hear his lover’s gentle laugh in his ears. “Noctis and Gladio are doing well. I’m going through your cookbook, learning to make some of the dishes you made for us on our trip to Altissia.” Now he could  definitely hear his lover’s laughter. “Some turn out okay, some turn out pretty good. But none taste as good as they did when you would cook them.”

Wiping his eyes, he stood up and looked down at the grave. “I’m sorry I never said I love you until that last day. I tried, I really did. But I didn’t deserve you. Being a Nifl, I knew I could never be a part of your world. But you showed me that that wasn’t the case. I had no reason to be ashamed of my heritage, as I’m a Lucian through and through.”

The sound of sparring spiracorns nearby disturbed the quietness, his rented chocobo releasing a soft _wark_  in reply to the fighting. “But you knew I loved you, didn’t you, Iggy? Even though I couldn’t say it out loud, you knew.”

A breeze began to blow, caressing him in its warmth as it passed around him. He knew Ignis could hear him, and in his own way was responding to him. “I will _always_  love you, Ignis Scientia. You are the first person that taught me that it was okay to let someone into my heart.” He kissed his fingers, then touched the marker. “I’ll be back to visit you again soon. I promise.”

Caught in another breeze, Prompto lifted his face up to the sun and smiled. He knew that even though Ignis is gone from this mortal life, that he would always be with him. And life would suck a little less because of that love that he was able to experience.


End file.
